The Toxic Land Of Sin
by LiveBreatheVampires
Summary: SEQUEL to Holding On and Letting Go. After Damon betrays her, Elena ends up back to the world that she had so desperately escaped from. Only this time, she is by herself, confused and unable to be saved, because her savior had become the reason why she was back...back in the Toxic Land of Sin. Rated M for prostitution, clubbing, language etc. Darker than Holding On.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi dear readers! This is the SEQUEL of Holding on and letting go, called "The Toxic Land of Sin." Please note that it will be darker than Holding on and letting go. **

**Rated M for prostitution, drugs, and general theme of the story. **

**Also, today marks the first year anniversary of Holding On and Letting Go. This is my gift to you guys.**

**Thanks to ThroughMySoul44 for her help on this chapter.**

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Pain.

Elena tried to let out a whimper however she soon realised that she couldn't. Her eyes desperately tried to adjust to the darkness but somehow blackness was the only thing she could see. Her arms were sore from being pinned over her head, and when she tried to move them, she realised her attempts were futile.

Her lips were dry and she tried to soothe her thirst by running her tongue over them as panic settled intoher features. The last thing she remembered was the lake and her talk with Damon. Why couldn't she see anything? What was going on? Where was she?

She felt something extremely painful clinging to her ankles, cutting into her skin like a sharp knife. It was then that she realised that her legs were spread like an eagle's wings.

Elena let out a bloodcurdling scream when she felt a finger slowly moving up her leg until it reached her thigh. She felt her thong being snapped roughly against her skin-so roughly that the sound echoed-and the finger then continued to move upwards until it rested on her inner thigh, brushing against her feminine parts.

"Please…" Elena whimpered, tirelessly trying to fight against her offender, "Please stop."

"You belong to us now, 24197," The man said bluntly.

Elena felt his stubble grazing her cheek moments before she cried out in pain, a man pinning her underneath him and settling himself between her legs. He continued to run his finger up and down her leg interminably.

"Please…I haven't done anything wrong. My n-name is E-Elena G-Gilbert…"

"Oh, sweetheart," The man spoke as he started to laugh, "Elena Gilbert is dead. The only one that remains is 24197. You're 24197. Nothing more, nothing less…"

Elena felt him move his finger onto her stomach and it was then that she realised that she was wearing nothing except a bra and panties.

"For two months we have fed you, kept you here in this bedroom…" The man smirked at her, reaching out to cup her breasts through her bra, "We have washed you, kept you healthy, yet you've given us nothing in return. It is time that you pay up, 24197. It is time to start serving your purpose... time to start pleasuring us and others like us. It is time for you to offer this hot body of yours to those willing to appreciate and stroke every inch of it."

"Please," Elena begged, "What are you talking about? Somebody please help me! Damon! Damon, please help me!"

She was screaming hysterically, hot tears searing against her cheeks. It was like a nightmare, an inescapable nightmare. Her breath was caught in her throat and she struggled to convince herself to breathe.

"Damon?" The man let out an evil chuckle that made Elena's blood run cold. "There is no Damon, 24197. There is only you and us now. There is only darkness."

The man pressed himself against her and rested his lips against her neck.

"There is only this toxic land of sin."

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Please Review


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two of TTLOS: Thank you so much for your amazing reviews! Please keep them coming**

**Warning: Mature themes, LONG story.**

**Would like to thank my beta PorkChopSmall for her help :)**

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"She's waking up. 168, 24197 is waking up."

A woman in her early twenties hurriedly came by Elena's bed as the girl's eyes slowly opened. Elena let out a gasp when she saw two girls staring at her and the other woman, the one in her twenties, wiping her face with a cool cloth. The temperature of the cloth compared to the heat of her body made her jump, trying to move away. She stared wide eyed at the woman, shaking and feeling the beads of sweat slip down her face.

"What happened?" Elena asked, taking in the surroundings.

Somehow she found herself in a large bedroom, in which there were about four beds, wardrobes and other pieces of furniture. The walls where a bare wood with no colour or life in the room at all. The floor was also cold wood, with only a small rug in the middle.

"Careful, 24197," The woman said as she continued to take care of Elena's wounds. "You girls…get out."

"But…"

"Get out." The woman glared.

Elena looked at the two young girls in surprise, and then looked at the woman who was currently taking care of her injuries. The girls quickly left the room, shutting the door behind them. Elena winced as she moved on the bed, being careful as she watched the older woman.

"Are you a cop?"

The woman chuckled bitterly. "That's what they always think, when they first wake up. No dear, I'm no cop. Now, please, there is a lot we have to go through."

"What?" Elena's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What's going on? Where am I?"

"They have really been weakening you, haven't they?" The woman said, more to herself than to Elena.

"_What_?"

"What do you remember?"

"Nothing," Elena said, then stopped. "Actually, no. I was in a different bedroom, there was a man. He…h-he…" Her eyes widened as the memory seemed to settle in. The woman looked at her with pity, but then, her expression soon turned cold.

"The less you remember about the life you used to know, the better," She said. "You'll forget soon, anyway. It just becomes less painful if you decide to forget about it on your own."

"Please," Elena begged, the woman's words doing nothing to ease her fear.

"There isn't much to understand," She replied. "My name is 168, and I am responsible for you. Now please, I have to get you ready or we're both in trouble."

"What are you talking about? Why are you called 168?" Panic was evident in Elena's voice as she sat straighter on the bed, ready to jump off it if she had to.

"The person you were is dead," 168 explained. "Your name from now on is 24197. It's a simple procedure-you are here to work and work hard. You are here to help others earn money. You are here to give your superiors their pleasure. If you follow my rules, your superiors will love you…they will take care of you. If you don't follow my rules, which are designed to help you capture your superiors' attention, then they will hurt you."

"I don't understand," Elena choked. "Why am I here?"

"Rule one," 168 said. "Never ask any questions. Never ask why. Never ask why you, and never question your superiors' wants and needs. Think of this as business."

"24197," 168 said, taking Elena's hand as she placed her on a chair and ran a brush down Elena's beautiful brown hair, "You have been living here for two months. Your superiors have been feeding you and taking care of you. Now it's only fair for you to pay them back and show some gratitude."

"Why can't I remember anything from the past two months?"

"It's because you don't need to remember," 168 said. "All that matters now is the future."

"Please, this is insane!" Elena snapped, jumping off the chair and heading for the door. "I'm going home."

Elena hurried towards the door, however, to her surprise it was locked.

"What did you think? That you'll just leave because you hate these terms and conditions?"

"Let me go!" Elena screamed, "Let me go!"

"Shut up and don't scream, or it's going to end up very badly for you."

Elena just screamed harder, hitting at the door furiously.

"Stop!" 168 yelled, "If you value your life…stop!"  
Elena paid no attention but soon, the door somehow opened. 168 suddenly stopped and the silence was almost deafening. Elena looked up and saw that a man was in front of her, observing her with cold, evil eyes. Without taking his eyes off her, he shut the door and inched forwards towards her, causing Elena to step back.

"168, is this the new one?" He eyed Elena, rubbing his chin.

"Yes, sir," 168 gasped breathlessly.

"It seems like you haven't been doing your job very well, 168." He chuckled darkly. "This girl obviously has no idea that we don't tolerate screaming here, otherwise she wouldn't have screamed."

"I'm sorry, sir, I tried to warn her but-"

168 let out a painful cry when the man's hand suddenly connected with her cheek. The force was so much that the woman stumbled; only catching herself on the wall for support. Her face was instantly red and burning.

"Shut up," He spat at her, and then turned to Elena who had her hand on her mouth in shock; watching as the man made his way towards her and pinned her to the wardrobe in a mere second.

"Ah, sweet cheeks," He said, his hands travelling down her body, "You really have no idea of what you're in for."

He took Elena by the arm roughly and started to inspect it. Then, he turned to 168, who was still rubbing her cheek. His nail racked down her skin, making Elena's skin crawl all over.

"Why doesn't she have her name inked on her yet?"

"She's only been conscious for two days, sir. No one has told me to perform the act myself. I usually wait for Mr. Wes's orders."

_Wes._

Elena's eyes widened in horror as she heard the name.

"Very well then," The man replied. "I believe that her name is 24197?"

"My name is Elena Gilbert!" Elena screamed as she suddenly started to fight him off, trying to move away from him. "I am not a fucking number!"

"Watch your mouth, princess," The man spat at her, holding one side of her hair roughly. "168, bring me the kit, now."

"Please…where am I?" Elena begged, "Just please…tell me what's going on."

"I will," The man smirked. "Soon enough."

168 returned with a kit and she handed in to the man who was currently pinning Elena to the wardrobe without even glancing at Elena. Elena's eyes widened in horror as she saw what she could describe as some sort of tattooing kit. Without warning, the man took hold of her wrist as Elena started to scream, however her pleads fell on deaf ears.

"If you hold still, it won't hurt as much," He told her with a sick smile on his face.

The woman gave a saddened look before holding Elena's arm out properly. The man pulled a cloth from his pocket and stuffed it in to Elena's mouth to silence her and then started to pierce the number on her skin.

24197.

Elena let out a sharp cry at the pain, but the man didn't seem to care. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't get away. She tried to calm herself, breathing through her nose, but nothing helped. The torture seemed to go on for long, painful minutes, but then he finally stopped, throwing her against the wardrobe even rougher.

"Let me give you a brief description, princess," The man mocked, pulling the cloth from her mouth and shoving her to the middle of the room. "Obviously, you haven't quite figured it out. Take off your clothes."

Elena started to sob and shook her head repetitively. She held her arm carefully, blood dribbling down to her fingertips.

"I said, take off your clothes!" Elena felt a smack on her backside and the man turned to 168. "168, you haven't really told 24197 that we also do not tolerate disobedience."

"Do what he says," 168 told her, her dark black locks bouncing in front of her face as she tugged on them nervously.

"Tell her that it's the wisest thing to do," The man continued, "For both your sakes."

"It's the wisest thing to do, for both our sakes," 168 repeated, her eyes shooting daggers at Elena.

Elena's shaky hands found the first button of the pyjama shirt she had been wearing, popping it open within a second. Soon, the shirt was over her head and over the bed, and the pants pooled on the floor by her feet.

"Good girl," He praised her. "Now, what do you ask?"

Elena tried to cover as much of her body as possible, even though she was still wearing a black bra and matching panties.

"Tell me, 24197, what do you say now?"

"I d-don't k-know, s-sir."

"How come you do not know this information?" He sighed, gently stroking Elena's face. "168, help her out."

"24197, you have to ask your customer if he is satisfied."

"So, what do you do now?" The man asked.

"Sir, are you satisfied?" Elena said, tears threatening to spill out of her eyes.

"Not quite," The man said, disappointed, then his disappointment turned to a smirk. "So, 24197, your customer had just told you that he's not quite satisfied. What would you do, to make his experience more…enjoyable?"

Again, words escaped her.

"168…"

"You'll ask him if he would like to see more of you, at an extra cost," 168 said robotically.

Elena started to shake.

"Come on, girl. If I really were your customer, I would've reported you already. I know that this is your first on the job training, but we aren't going to be very sweet. Tell me, girl. What will you do?"

"Sir…would you like to see more of me, at an extra cost?"

"Good girl!" The man praised her as if he were praising a dog after obeying a command. "And what if I told you that yes, I would?"

_No no no no no_

"Please, sir, I…"

The man moved in front of her, his fingers on her back until they reached the strap of her bra. "You know what to do."

* * *

Elena remained still until he withdrew his hand away from her breast, only to cup it one last time before giving her a pat on the head like a well-trained dog. He made a satisfied noise, running his hand down her sides.

"Good, very good," He said, motioning her to stand up by using his finger. 168 had remained silent throughout the entire time, even when Elena let out a sharp cry when he pinched her sensitive flesh. "Excellent actually." He turned around to look at 168. "She can start immediately. 24197-you can put your clothes back on."

Elena shakily put her bra on and then turned to find another pyjama-only this time, it was a satin nightgown. It was black and red trim, barely covering her body properly.

"You can take care of the rest," The man said, reaching forwards to put a kiss on Elena's lips before vanishing from in front of them.

"Breakfast is at seven, you're expected to wake up by 5am," 168 said robotically. "Chores start 5.15 sharp. No warm water available for showers-if you want warm water, you have to work hard for it. Baths are a privilege. Dinners consist of white rice, any sauces come at an extra cost and if you want Bolognese, you have to work harder than a dog. Drinking water is available and we are entitled to a 2 litre bottle per day. If you drink a glass more, even if it's tap water-there will be hell to pay." 168 stopped for a second to catch her breath.

"You are expected to work in the bars in this community, stripping for our men and keeping them satisfied. The bars are within this large block, there is no chance of escaping or of finding a way out. A map will be given to you to help you find your way around. At night, you will come here in this room and change to your sexiest attire; and then you'll go with the other girls to the area where you'll be auctioned for a night. You will pleasure the winner accordingly, whether it's a lap dance or sexual activities, keeping in mind that you have to always ask if the customer is satisfied or not-if he wants to take it a step further or not."

She stopped again, as if to think about what she needed to say next. "You will never bring up your past, you will try to forget where you came from and any chance of getting back there. You will never tell anyone your real name-your real name is only the number we have bestowed on you. You have to remind yourself that as your name states-you are just a number, an irreplaceable number. You are required to take the pill on a regular basis, for which you will also pay for. If tips are made; then 75% of them shall be given to your superiors. Mr. Adam, the man who has just been here, is one of your superiors and therefore, obedience and respect are a must. No running in corridors; no shouting, no questions asked, only obedience. This room is shared with four other girls you'll soon meet, however the sexual…_activities _take place in the dark rooms, the one you were in before you were brought here."

"For the auction, your given name is the number inked on your wrist. For your bedroom activities, the man will choose to call you whatever he wants, as long as you do not reveal your true identity. Failure to comply with these rules and guidelines will result in hard work, beatings and worse. Do you understand?"

Elena couldn't open her mouth to utter a word. Her eyes were full of tears as she knelt down in front of 168 and started to beg her, pleading with her with all her heart and soul. She cried, cried for Damon and cried for God-she asked Him to help her, but somehow no one was listening to her pleas.

"Stand up," 168 said roughly, "You have work to do."

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As you might've guessed, Elena is in a modern-day brothel. Don't worry, Damon will be making an appearence soon.

Please Review


	3. Chapter 3

Would like to thank my beta and friend ThroughMySoul44 for her help.

I finish exams tomorrow so I'll be updating by weekend or Monday after I send them to my beta. I have a 6 hour exam tomorrow!

Enjoy the chapter c:

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Damon's hand tightened around the glass of scotch he was holding. He used so much force that it instantly shattered in half and Emily's cries turned impossibly louder. He couldn't stand her crying, it was giving him a migraine. And vampires didn't get migraines.

He looked and felt like crap. For two months, all he had done was drink-and when he was sober he'd desperately try to look for Elena. However, Wes and the organisation had turned their backs on him, even Klaus himself, stating that it was for the best. So Damon would end up drinking, smoking, and enjoying a girl's company for the night, all while he continuously heard Emily's ear-splitting screams and cries.

He had contemplated giving Emily up and sending her to live with a human family or an orphanage, but soon he thought better against it. He had betrayed Elena and he had no idea where she was. Even when he haddelivered all those Guardians, he never asked where they were taken after they were broken by him. According to Klaus, these Guardians were taken to places where they could never be happy, where they were treated and kept in misery, without a chance to ever develop into Guardians or know their own abilities. The least he could do was keep Emily safe.

For the past two months, he died a little inside everytime he thought of her. He had been a fool-They had used his weaknesses against him. They knew how much he loved Kimberly and Katherine and that he blamed himself for their deaths. They knew that he would do anything to get them back. It had been over a hundred years, yet he always visited them-He had dug two graves himself; even though he never found their bodies. He used to bring them flowers everyday but soon, life got hectic-making everything about revenge.

But Elena…Elena was different. She had become an important person in his life. She was saving him as much as he was saving her. He had been certain that with a little care and reassurance, Elena might've never even developed the Guardian symptoms and things would've been easy. But now, all he was left with was pain, and the glass of scotch in his hands.

He knew that he had to keep trying to get her back. He cared.

* * *

168 had instructed Elena to clean the room, and Elena had done so without complaint. When she was done, 168 entered the room and observed it as if she were a police officer investigating a crime scene.

"Good," 168 praised her. "Very clean- It is important for every room to be kept clean. Your superiors enter these rooms at times, and they will not want to see even a crumb on the floor." Elena nodded her head.

"Since it is your first time here, you'll get the night off," 168 continued. "I need to show you some things and your real work starts tomorrow morning with the chores and then tomorrow evening at the auction."

Elena's heart sank.

"This is your wardrobe," 168 said as her black hair flew behind her. "These are the clothes you'll be wearing for the auction tomorrow. And these…These are your nightclothes when you are off duty-you do get a day off or a night off every once in a while. Don't expect it to happen soon, however. Men like new girls and you are certainly going to attract a lot of customers."

168 gave Elena a neatly folded paper. "As I said, this is the map I told you about. I'll be giving you a tour."

Elena nodded weakly as 168 hurried forward, leading Elena to plenty of hallways and stairs.

"This is the cafeteria," She explained. "Food will be served here. At times, it is on first-come, first-served basis. As I said, breakfast is at seven. Dinner time-or rather, rice time-is at six pm. The superiors might let you snack in between meals. These benefits will be allowed if your customers have very positive feedback about you. On the other hand, if the feedback is negative, your superiors might not even allow you to eat at all and there are a lot of punishments for those who disobey."

Elena nodded once.

"This is where we get our water," She continued. "You are entitled to a two litre bottle. You'll pick it up yourself by nine am."

168 continued to walk around the building, and after a long walk, she stopped in what seemed like a reception area. "If you need more clothes or medicine, you'll have to come here and ask for Ms. Jones."

168 took a deep breath. "This is pretty much it. As I said, you are here to work and other than that, it's a pretty normal life. There's an emergency room as well with the most intelligent doctors. If you do what I say, you'll have a long life here."

Elena wrapped an arm around herself and tried to fight back tears.

"This is basically building A," 168 concluded. "Now, let me take you to building B."

The walk to Building B was long and even though she had the map, Elena felt very uneasy. Thankfully, 168 seemed to know the place well.

"This is where the auctions will be held," 168 said almost in a whisper, and Elena could understand why she was almost afraid to give Elena this news. The room was dark, with the only light being bright red on the stage. On the same stage, there were a lot of cages.

"Every girl has her own cage," 168 continued. "You will be required to dance to encourage our men to choose you. It might seem easier to decide not to join in, but in the end, the only girls whose lives are guaranteed are those who make the most money for the superiors. If you want to live, make them love you. Make them need you. They often get rid of the rest-It all comes down to you. They will bid for you, and since your name is too long, there will be a set of keys to represent you. One of the superiors will hold the key and the bidding will start. You will then leave with the bidder to the rooms on the right wing. If no one happens to choose you, you'll get a night off."

"Once in the room…" 168 continued, "You shall do whatever the bidder wants. Obviously, things that endanger your life are to be done only if your superior advises you beforehand, so no customer can force you to engage in bonding activities if they haven't consulted your superior and paid a lot extra. The customers know the rules and if they break them, they are also punished. Therefore, you shall report such inconveniences."

"That's it," 168 continued after a while. "Any questions?"  
Elena couldn't even open her mouth to speak.

"Good. Then you can go back to your room, and you'll soon meet the others."

"Oh, and 24197…" 168 added, "The most important things here are inferiority and obedience. You shall always obey your superiors, and when a superior is talking to you you must keep your head down at all times unless he asks you to speak. This shows that you are inferior."

* * *

Once back in the bedroom, Elena saw that four other girls were already there, laying on their beds. Their eyes locked with Elena's, however they shrugged and continued to do their nails. Makeup was everywhere, and with a trembled voice Elena asked them which bed would be hers.

They looked at her, their eyes piercing Elena's and then they completely ignored her again.

"Can you tell me which bed I can take?" Elena raised her voice a bit more.

"Listen, sweetcheeks," A blonde girl turned to look at Elena. Elena immediately realised that these girls were not scared or confused like her, in fact, they seemed to love what they were doing. Their breasts and cleavage were visible and they were only wearing short shorts, laid on the bed very sexually. "Just choose a fucking bed and sleep already. It's bad enough we have to share our room with another person, and also a newcomer. So suck it up and go to sleep, because tomorrow night you'll be fucked senseless."

Tears threatened to spill out of Elena's eyes but she remained calm, quietly curling up on the bed in a room which was surely too small for five people to sleep in. At least, however, the bed was comfortable enough. She went to turn off the lamp but the look the blonde girl gave her was enough to make her stop the action.

A tear fell on Elena's pillow.

* * *

Elena woke up to hear very loud noises. People were talking, drawers were opened and closed rapidly…

Elena turned to see that the clock on her bedside table showed 5.15 am, the time when chores started.

She panicked and despair took over her as she desperately tried to find some clothes, and after searching through her four drawers she finally found a suitable t-shirt and shorts. She put them on quickly, sleep and tiredness instantly forgotten, and ran down the corridor. Girls were there, lined up like slaves as the superiors counted them.

Elena ran fast in hope that she wouldn't be in trouble, however it was too late. Adam, the man that she had encountered the night before, was looking at her sternly, and the blonde girl-her roommate-was laughing at her.

"You are ten minutes late, 24197," Adam spoke, but his voice was calm as if this man couldn't experience anger or any emotion whatsoever.

"I'm sorry," Elena whimpered, her legs wobbling while she got into the line, shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Get into the line properly!" Adam roared, making Elena jump. "You have no idea what discipline is! Do you see any of the other girls slumped forwards like you are?" He got behind her and gripped her hard from the shoulders to straighten her and Elena cried out.

"And what is this?" Adam continued to roar as he gripped Elena's shirt. "You are meant to wear the slave shirt in the morning for chores-the black one! Such disobedience!"

"I'm sorry, sir," Elena pleaded desperately. "I wasn't aware-"

"Did I ask you to speak?" Once again Adam's voice was calm and void from any emotion.

Elena swallowed thickly.

"Truly, 24197. Did I ask you to speak?"

"No, sir, you didn't."

He circled her slowly like a predator stalking its prey and Elena's heart started to beat fast against her chest. Then, his hands encircled her waist and he pulled her tightly against him, her back against his stomach. Elena noticed that the other girls were looking at the wall in front of them, and no one-not even one girl-was glancing sideways or at the superiors.

"You arrive ten minutes late," He whispered against her neck, nibbling at it slightly. "You have no idea what discipline and precision are, and you come here wearing the wrong shirt. Let me enlighten you, princess. Here…It is all about precision. We train you whores to obey each and every single command, so if I say that you are to wear a black shirt for your chores, you shall do so without complaint. Got it, 24197?"

His hands reached out to touch her hipbones and he continued to attack her neck. At first, Elena was going to fight, but then she noticed 168 looking at her sternly.

"I should make you change your shirt here, in front of everyone," He taunted, "As you haven't even properly apologized yet."

"I'm sorry…I told you that I'm sorry," Elena begged him, however his hand came to rest on her mouth, silencing her in an instant.

"My sweet 24197…You have so much more to learn about what shall be done in order for you to get pardoned," Adam kissed the back of her neck, and unwillingly, Elena moved a step forward.

"How dare you move away from your superior?" Adam roared, pulling Elena back as if she were a porcelain doll. "How dare you!"

"I'm sorry!" Elena cried, turning to face him.

"A slave mustn't look at her master!" He hissed cruelly, dragging her back by her waist until he could crush her against his stomach again so that her back faced him. He leant her head back against his shoulder as she let tears slip down her cheeks, stroking her body up and down and breathing on the side of her face just by her chin.

"This goes for all of you!" He finally said, shoving Elena forwards. "All of you!"

He remained behind Elena and for a few moments, Elena couldn't see what he was doing. Semi-consciously she turned her head around.

"You really don't know the meaning of 'facing forwards' do you?" He said, amused and moments later he slapped her hard, causing her to face the wall again. "You just extended your punishment."

Elena couldn't make out what he was doing but her breath caught in her throat when she heard his belt being unbuckled.

"Face forwards," 168 instructed her, looking down. "No screaming."

Elena felt him play with his belt and it crashed against the backsof her knees three times.

"And a little five extra for not facing forwards," He continued, smacking her five times again. Elena flinched and let out small gasps of pain but didn't dare to scream.

"You can all start your chores now," Adam said. "Since we wasted ten minutes here with 24197, your breakfast will be served at eight thirty instead of seven."

Elena tried to forget about the pain as the other superiors handed her the cleaning equipment.

"Oh, and 24197…" Adam said, grabbing her elbow, "I'll teach you the 'apology and pardoning' system myself when you're done."

Elena left with the other girls, tears of despair streaming down her cheeks. The fear was accumulating in her throat exponentially. This world she had known for her entire life would not allow her to escape its hold. She knew punishment, she knew fear like it was second nature, and she knew this life far too well. Now the nightmare was beginning again. She just prayed this life would be easier than the one Mason had provided. Her heart was breaking inside and any hope she felt fell to the darkness of this world, of this unbearable hell.

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Please Read and Review xx


	4. Chapter 4

Huge thanks to my beta and friend ThroughMySoul44 for her help on this chapter.

I have no internet connection for a week and therefore I'm using my 3G ad uploading using my tablet. Sorry if there are some spacing issues. Please stay tuned as hopefully I will be uploading new stories soon. Thank you for your support.

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Elena ran around the hallway, breathless. She had been cleaning for hours but she knew that she wasn't fast enough, at least not as fast as the other girls. She was assigned to wash two floors, and each and every room was twice as big as her and Damon's bedroom back at home, and their bedroom hadn't been a small one.

She wiped the sweat that covered her forehead and threw herself on the floor, drinking from the bottled water carefully. God, she was so tired. Her legs wanted to give out and her heart was beating way too fast from the rush she was in, in order to try and finish her chores by 1 pm. 168 had explained to her that the chores had to be finished by the set time and that she was to stand in line with the other girls when returning the cleaning detergents. Then, according to 168, Adam would make sure that she had done her task correctly and she would be given free time.

"24197!" Elena heard someone scream, and Elena shot up from the floor as 168 hurried towards her, looking incredibly mad. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Elena straightened up and looked down. "I'm sorry-I was t-tired and..."

"No!" 168 screamed, "You can never get tired here, ever! Unless you want him to beat you up again!"

Elena swallowed thickly.

"You do not quite know what you are in for, child," 168 said, speaking to her as if she had been there for a long time. Elena looked at her in confusion. 168 wasn't much older than she was. "No one can help you. Everyone has to stay still even as they watch their own daughter or mother beaten. In order to survive in this place, you have to be selfish, precise, and smart. I'm sure you've met the girls in your room. They are the superiors' favourites, especially the blonde girl, 1243. They don't care about anyone except themselves even though they seem to be the best of friends when they are in the group. They have put a cold facade on, but I know that they suffer greatly on the inside. If you're smart, I suggest you do the same. There is no place for emotions in this world."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Elena asked, tears forming in her eyes.

"It's my job. I am assigned to take care of the new members and you're the girl I'm assigned to care for. Soon, you will be out on your own. For now, you have me to guide you and I can even give you tips. As you can see, I was allowed to speak to you when you were being beaten. That isn't normally allowed, because when a superior is talking to a prostitute or punishing her, there has to be silence, complete precision, and everybody facing forwards. If you had screamed during your punishment, it would've ended badly for you. That is why I suggested that you shut up and accept each and every blow."

Elena's heart nearly broke. The way that 168 spoke about the punishment and about how girls should behave made her shudder. She was talking about all of this as if it were normal.

168 placed a hand on Elena's shoulder, her bright blue eyes piercing Elena's. "Just turn off your emotions if you know what's best for you, and it will all be okay."

* * *

Damon had been driving for hours, unable to even stop and think about where he was really going. It was no use, he was never going to find Elena and he knew that. Throughout the years, he had been assigned to take care of a lot of guardians-to-be and when their time was up, he would give them to Wes and the others to be taken care of. He knew that they took the poor girls to places where they could never discover their true nature (If there was a chance of them finding it, anyway. He usually broke the guardian-to-be long before she was handed to Wes) and Damon usually tried not to think about where the poor girls ended up.

He had messed up. He had started to care about a guardian and that was his first mistake. The second one was giving Elena up. He was so stupid-His daughter and Katherine were dead. He saw it happen. There was no way that Wes had them alive. It had been a trick to give Elena up and he had walked right into his trap, handing over the one thing that made him feel alive ever since their deaths.

Poor Elena, he thought. He had given her such a hard time with his constant mood swings, but she never could've understood. How could she? How could she understand that he had been fighting a battle with himself. He knew that Elena's nature was dangerous. Sure, she was kind and sweet, but the guardian that he had let in his house and took Katherine and Kimberly away from him had been sweet, too. This constant battle of whether to keep Elena and live with the hope that she didn't turn up to be a monster or to give her up and never see her again had made him weak, struggling. He could still remember the abuse Elena encountered under the hands of Mason and the men in the underworld; and sometimes, the thought that he had sent those men to rape her made him cringe. In fact, when he had seen Elena struggling against those men and when he had 'saved' her and covered her hospital bill, something inside of him changed. Maybe it was her beauty or her selflessness. He knew from the beginning that she wasn't just a common whore dancing in a club, he knew that she was suffering. And when he had finally talked to her and confirmed that she was a virgin and that her four year old sister was taken by some monster, the icicles around his heart melted.

Damon knew that he didn't deserve her. He must've given her a whiplash with the change of demeanour but what was he to do, when even he himself felt confused? Then he started to take time off and had decided not to go watch her dance in the club again, in order to clear his mind. During that time, he had begged Wes to assign him to a new girl, but Wes wouldn't listen, stating that Elena was his mission. And he'd returned to her and treated her like crap, all because he couldn't make a decision. He realised that he had been a monster: He had saved Elena, he had slept with her selflessly (It had been all about her that night), he had saved her sister and taken Elena out for meals while at the same time he would constantly threaten her, make her feel inferior, punish her and at times even hate her-and then ultimately betray her. Damon squeezed his eyes shut at the memory-He had left Elena alone in a forest and just left her there. He had promised her that he'd come back for her and he didn't, he just let the predator claim her.

Damon opened his eyes but let out a gasp as he suddenly saw a deer crossing the road in front of him. The wheel jerked in Damon's hands and the tires slid on the slippery road, the powerful car out of control as the shift of tires spun the car several times before ending up upside down, the smell of smoke already filling his sensitive nostrils.

* * *

Elena set the cleaning material down and practically ran back to the hallway where she was to stand in line. It was exactly 1 pm when she arrived and it was exactly during that time that Adam and other men came around, counting the girls.

"Good," Adam muttered as he came to stand in front of Elena. She dutifully looked down until he grasped her chin gently in his hands and forced her to look at him. "Have you cleaned the assigned area, 24197?"

"Yes, sir," Elena said, her voice trembling.

"Good," Adam said again and he looked at two other girls. "You two can have your free time. David here will make sure that you have waxed the floors properly. You," he pointed at Elena, "You come with me."

Elena bowed her head and followed him slavishly, her heart beating fast against her chest.

"Sir, I've done everything right," She said softly.

"David will make sure of that, that's not why I didn't grant you your free time," Adam said slowly, unlocking a door and pushing Elena in. "You still have to be punished for this morning's bullshit."

"I'm sorry, sir," Elena panicked, "Please..."

"Speaking when you're not asked to again, I see," Adam shook his head in disbelief, "You women must encounter violence to learn!"

Elena froze in place and Adam chuckled. "Don't worry, 24197. That's not why we are here. I'm here to teach you that in this world, you can be pardoned. I won't beat you again today, if you decide to obey me now." He walked towards her and placed both of his hands on her shoulders, circling her like a predator stalking its prey. He bunched the shirt in his hands and pulled it off her in a mere second.

"You're a naughty girl, 24197..." He smirked against his neck, "You're a very naughty girl indeed."

His fingers slid down, stroking the top of her breasts along the brim of her black bra. Then, he pushed her off him and grabbed her firmly from her arm, shoving her against a table. Elena screamed involuntary when her body slammed on the table and Adam stroked her hair, roughly.

"Sniff it," He ordered her, but Elena didn't understand what he was talking about. It was when she stopped seeing stars and dots from the hard slam on her head that she saw the white powder on the table that seemed like dirt. However, Elena knew that that dirt was cocaine, and that Adam wanted her to take it.

He let go of her and Elena cried out, straightening up.

"Sniff it!" He ordered her again. "Now!"

"Please, don't make me..."

"I'm not making you do anything," Adam said calmly. "That or the beating. It's your choice. But, I must warn you, I won't be gentle if you take the beating."

Elena knew that with the amount of strength she had left, her body would never recover from another beating. Unwillingly, she bent over.

"Take your bra off," He smirked, pouring himself a drink.

With tears in her eyes, Elena unclasped her bra and bent down.

* * *

"You can stop now, I'm bored," Adam sighed and Elena stopped immediately. Tears couldn't stop running down her cheek and she looked like a complete mess. Adam came behind her again and kissed her neck and gave her breasts a gentle caress. "Good girl. Put your clothes on, I'm done with you."

Elena nodded, but he stopped her. "Thank your master now, sweetie."

"Thank you, master," Elena said robotically.

"No, not like that..." Adam smirked, "I'll settle for a kiss today. Kiss me, 24197."

Unwillingly, Elena tip-toed so that she could kiss him. She was still bare, and all she wanted to do was put her clothes on and lie in a bed, thinking about Damon, clinging to the hope that he was currently searching for her. She attempted to give Adam a short kiss, but he kept kissing her roughly, forcing his tongue between her teeth until she was nearly breathless.

"Adam!" Someone knocked on the door, and as Elena hurriedly got dressed, Adam opened the door.

"What, David?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but apparently, your new student did not obey your command. She has not properly cleaned the second floor."

Adam turned to look at Elena, who was frozen in place. Before Elena could even breathe, she was forced to walk behind them to the second floor, with Adam pulling her by her right arm mercilessly.

"As you can see, there is this an orange-juice spill in here. 24197 would've noticed it if she had really cleaned the area."

"No, sir, I'm sorry. It was c-clean when I left..." Elena was silenced with a hard slap on the cheek at the interruption and her head turned around to the other side. It was then that her gaze locked with a familiar girl, the blonde girl in her room. The one that according to 168, didn't care for anyone except herself, the one that only cared about surviving, and the one who was currently holding a huge glass of orange juice which was almost completely empty.

* * *

Next chapter will be entirely dedicated to Damon and the Guardian stuff. It will be a fully detailed chapter that will explain/answer most questions through flashbacks.

Stay tuned and please review


	5. Chapter 5

**I received a review from a guest reviewer, and this reviewer said that the story has become depressing. Whilst I appreciate constructive criticism, I'm taking this opportunity to remind the reader what I used to write in a lot of AN in Holding On and Letting Go. This story was not meant to be a happy, fluffy one. It was meant to be a LONG, LONG (and when I say Long, I mean it) journeys of evil, darkness, inner conflicts, etc etc. In fact, a lot of the themes which were briefly mentioned in Holding On (Dark themes) will play an important part in this story. If you think that this story is getting quite depressing, I have to warn the reader that a lot more dark themes (addictions) are coming, involving drugs and other addictions. I always planned for this story to be very long, almost like a novel, so please if you think that you cannot handle such themes or such a long story, stop reading because you will definitely hate it from this point onwards. It was always meant to be a long, sad story that will get a happy ending in very late chapters. Remember, in a life like this, Damon and Elena weren't just magically going to fall in love. After all, we waited 3 years on the show itself to get a real, hot kiss. **

**That being said, thanks to the guest reviewer for constructive criticism, and thank you all for your support.**

**Would like to thank my beta ThroughMysoul44 for her help on this chapter.**

**Chapter entirely dedicated to Guardians and Damon. To be continued next chapter!**

* * *

1947

Damon looked angrily at the girl in front of him, a few pieces of paper and a quill pen in his hands. The girl was looking up at him in fear, locked in the small cage Wes had in his dungeon, as Damon called it. Yet Damon knew that this girl was a Guardian-to-be and that Wes was only trying to protect the vampire race from harm.

The girl, Nora, had been his 'mission' for quite a while now, but he still found it hard to go through with what Wes had instructed him to do. He knew that the first part was over and done with, he had observed the girl for a long time. He would just sit there on that chair and watch her behaviour, study her emotions, her habits, everything. At times, the girl had such violent outbursts that it made him cringe.

"Damon," Wes placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Yes…"

"You've been out here for ages. I need to talk to you anyway, come with me to the study."

Damon nodded his head, locking the door behind him and following Wes inside his office. The latter poured himself a drink for him and another for the former.

"Sit down, Damon," Wes said slowly, handing him the glass of fine scotch. "I've heard that you are having quite a difficult time with Nora."

"You know that all of this is new for me. I'm not sure I'm able to hurt her. She's just a girl."

"No, Damon," Wes shook his head. "You're forgetting that it was Guardians who kidnapped you, tortured you for thirty years, and killed your wife and daughter. When we found you, you were broken. You don't want this fate for other vampires, do you?"

"No, sir, I don't."

"Then you know what has to be done," He replied. "Every Guardian was once a young, innocent girl, a guardian to be. But if the girl holds Guardian powers in her, then her fate is sealed. She'll become a guardian, a monster. If there was another way, I'd have asked you to research a method that would help keep the girl alive without the Guardian powers, but you and I both know it's not possible. Their destiny is written the moment they are born. The only way to end this is by following the steps I spoke to you about."

"I know," Damon muttered. "Observe, claim, judge…I know."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I have done the observation part. I have written a lot of notes about the girl's behaviour and compared them to the Guardian symptoms of her ancestors. The girl is a Fell, and lately she has been experiencing violent thoughts and outbursts, just like her grandmother, Dorothy Fell."

"Good, go on…"

"I have also observed that the girl tries hard to seduce me and to lure me in, as you said, her Guardian side is already showing. Lust, seduction…they are all present in Nora."

"Yes, indeed," Wes agreed. "It is a Guardian's nature to use sex to lure a vampire in. The vampire often falls into a trance, allowing the Guardian enough time to rip out all the organs in a vampire. You experienced that yourself when you welcomed a Guardian in your home."

Damon cringed, but continued. "At times, I feel compelled towards her as well, as if I'm being pulled in."

"That is why we keep the Guardians chained up and locked away," Wes interrupted. "And this is why I always tell you to stay behind the iron bars."

Damon nodded. "There are also a lot of symptoms I recognised. I have written everything down. The step that is worrying me is the Claim."

"The Claim is a very important step," Wes sipped his drink slowly. "This step is the step in which you are marking the Guardian as your responsibility. From this point onwards, you are obliged to experiment on the Guardian and not only observe but also work on her behaviour. Every Guardian trait from the Guardian-to-be has to be removed. This can be done, as I explained last time, by degradation, punishments, etc. As I said, the girl does not know what's happening to her and has no idea from where the violent outbursts are coming and this desire to kill. It is also very important to make sure that the girl does not make her first kill, as this will make the Guardian take over the girl completely." Wes cleared his throat. "In the claim, you will first have to sleep with the girl. We will be giving you an antidote so that the Guardian will serve you, and not the other way around. This encounter between the vampire and the Guardian will serve as the first step in controlling the girl, her body, her desires, her spirit. It'll be like a master controlling his servant. These sexual encounters weaken the Guardian part inside of her which is already there, waiting to develop."

Damon shifted uncomfortably.

"The girls chosen as Guardians are usually the ones who are either victims of abuse or have had a dark past. Therefore, they are easier to control. Their emotions, however, can make them strong. They create this switch which is similar to a vampire's in which they shut down their humanity. They won't care who they kill. I heard of a vampire who fell in love with a Guardian-to-be. He did everything in his power to save her from the Guardian nature without relying on these methods and so he failed and she killed him. Once the girl is transformed by her nineteenth birthday, usually there's nothing you can do to stop her."

"I got it," Damon replied.

"I hope you do," Wes said. "There's nothing wrong with this, Damon. We are saving people. Innocent people like your daughter. These are monsters, and they deserve to be degraded and humiliated until every ounce of Guardian blood in them is drained."

He cleared his throat. "After all of this is done, you will bring the girl to one of our parties where we will meet the girl. Remember, since it is your first time, youwere spared from actually travelling around the world to find her. When you start to work on your own, you have to keep in mind that we probably wouldn't have met the Guardian before. In the 'party', each vampire is invited to take turns in bringing the girls where the elders will make sure that she is cleansed from everything supernatural. Then, you shall give her to us, clean, to do with as we see fit."

"I don't understand. Why don't you let them go after they are clean from their powers?"

"We still have to take precautions. The sadder and desperate the Guardian is, the easier to control. As I said, a Guardian's task is to rid the world out of anything supernatural and they will do so at all costs. If we keep them in places where they would never dream of developing their Guardian nature, we are safer. We can never be too sure that a vampire has been successful in cleaning his Guardian."

"It doesn't make sense," Damon said, "It's not fair. You can let them go after everything's been done. Why the unnecessary suffering?"

"As I said, we can never be too sure. There will be, eventually, a time where we set some girls free if their Guardian side has been truly banished, but it would take years. I'm trying to stop the Guardians from developing. I want to get rid of them all, and therefore it is not going to be an easy journey. What is important is that the girls never learn about the power they truly possess. It must be kept discreet. This entire process, for your safety, will take six months. This will make sure that you won't be the one lured into the Guardian's bed when having sexual encounters."

Damon swallowed thickly.

"Everytime you feel sorry for the girls, remember that Guardians destroyed your life," Wes reminded him again, pouring himself another drink. "Never forget that."

* * *

1995

"I can't do it," Damon pleaded in despair. "She's just a baby. I cannot take her from her mother's arms minutes after birth."

"Well, you have to!" Wes snapped. "I told you, Damon. The Gilberts have had a long history of murdering vampires, innocent vampires-even the kindest ones! You've known this for quite a while now. The Gilbert Guardians are the most precious ones. I thought that they became extinct since the baby's ancestors haven't developed any Guardian symptoms for way too long, but now…this baby…it'll bring the same curse again. The Gilbert Guardians have immense power, Damon. The first Gilbert man created this fucking idea of the Guardian, and with a newborn baby possessing such powers the vampire race will be severely endangered."

"How do you know that a newborn could have such powers? You said so yourself, there haven't been any Guardian symptoms in the Gilbert family for ages."

"But the ones before us knew it already, Damon!" Wes snapped, putting a few pieces of paper on the table roughly for Damon to see.

"What is this?"

"Look at the picture, Damon. I'm sure that you recognise her."

Damon's eyes widened.

"Yes, Damon. The Guardian you let in your own home. The one who seduced you, kidnapped you while you were in your trance, tortured you for thirty years and enjoyed your pain, and killed your wife and daughter. Courtney. She was, indeed, a Gilbert."

Damon's eyes locked with the photo, his hands shaking.

"When you were with us for the first time, a friend of mine started researching the Gilbert family and concluded that they were the first Guardians. It is not enough for the Gilbert Guardians to kill, they take pleasure in torturing their victims. The Gilbert Guardians cannot be compelled, and if one of these guardians drinks a vampire's blood the consequences might be severe. They feed on their victims."

"But how? How do you know that this baby is dangerous?"

"You know the rule, Damon. It's usually the grandmother or grandfather who has the guardian blood, the mother has none, and the child has the guardian blood again. One niece or nephew carries the curse-and if there are any more siblings, they won't be affected. It's just one. Now, for the Gilberts, this rule wasn't quite obeyed. There hasn't been a Guardian symptom for too long. Other vampires worked on the Gilberts but observed that they shouldn't be kidnapped or taken by us as they are one hundred percent human. Until recently, I found this."

Wes put another scroll on the table in which there were a lot of names written in black ink.

"Benedict Gilbert," Wes read out loud, "None of his sons and daughters developed any symptoms. Then, his niece did, and so on and so forth-The Gilbert blood still running inside them. His blood, even after all of these years. Now, look at this."

Wes pointed at the family tree and oddly enough, there were a lot of blank pages. "These blank pages show that the Gilbert family had no Guardians for three hundred years and nature did not follow the general rule. Until there was a huge massacre on vampires by a young, nineteen year old Gilbert back in 1414 exactly six hundred years ago. One attack that wiped out an entire city of vampires. Only the girl vanished before others like us helped to rid the rest of the vampire population from her. Then, it was quiet again until 1714, three hundred years later-when another massacre happened, with the girl once again, disappearing. It seems to be that the Gilbert Guardians have screwed up nature, but if my calculations are correct, we should be expecting an attack of this sort by a Gilbert Guardian in 2014, when this baby's nineteen years old and has fully blossomed into a Guardian. We can't let another massacre happen. If we take that baby now, if we do everything in our power to make sure that she does not turn into another one of that monsters, we'll be saving a lot of innocent people, Damon. Courtney was a Gilbert, however there has been no records that she's from this era. She could be the same girl from 1714. Think about this, Damon...We could save innocent lives."

"By hurting a baby!" Damon snapped. "It was never part of the deal. It's bad enough that I have to hurt and degrade a lot of young teenagers-"

"Guardians," Wes corrected him, "We do not hurt people."

"It doesn't matter," Damon added, "They are still young and they still have no idea that they possess evil inside of them. You know that. No Guardian is truly evil until they make the first kill-A murder which they might never even commit!"

"Bullshit," Wes argued. "You know that the violent nightmares and the violent outbursts are the first symptoms! They are the right push the Guardian-to-be needs to blossom! It is their nature driving them to accept themselves as Guardians and not disguise themselves as humans."

"They are still innocent," Damon hissed through clenched teeth. "I'm not kidnapping that baby. We'll do this the old way-I'll work on this case when the girl is a teenager. Until then, I will make sure to observe her and learn everything I can about her. I am not, however, kidnapping her."

Wes opened his mouth to protest but then sighed. "Fine," He said, his tone cold. "If you give me your word that you keep an eye for her, you can start working on ridding her of the Guardian nature when she has reached her seventeenth birthday."

Damon nodded.

"But whatever happens to the vampire race…It's on you."

* * *

Damon sat in the waiting area coldly, checking his watch. The hallway in the hospital had quieted and the baby's mother was obviously asleep after the pain she had gone through to deliver the baby Wes wanted so badly.

He slowly entered the room, making sure again that the new mother was asleep. When he heard the soft snores, he walked towards the small hospital bassinet carefully, his eyes locking with the newborn baby who, oddly enough, was wide awake. Her hair was brown and it was quite thick for her little age. She gurgled and reached out for his finger and Damon semiconsciously gave it to her, something in the room pulling him towards her, towards the little angel in the crib who was struggling to hold her little eyes open.

His fingers stroked her hand. "What kind of person would I be if I took you away from your mother's arms?" He whispered, a tear escaping his eyes at the thought of his own daughter.

The girl let out a loud cry and Damon's gaze fell on her mother, who let out a yawn. Damon didn't have the time to say goodbye to the little girl, but before her mother woke up to nurse her, his gaze fell on the name bracelet around her tiny ankle.

_Elena._

* * *

_The next chapter will also be dedicated to Damon and Guardians._

_Please review_


	6. Chapter 6

Would like to thank my beta, ThroughMySoul44 for her help on this chapter! Please support her new story, "Words Unspoken."

Enjoy c:

* * *

1948

"You wanted to see me, Wes?" Damon asked, slowly making his way into the office and closing the door behind him.

"Yes, Damon, come in," The man instructed. He was drinking what seemed to be fine whisky and Damon instantly knew that Wes was not going to share any pleasant news with him.

He sighed and sat down on the chair in front of Wes. The latter lit up a cigarette, inhaling and exhaling the smoke as if to calm himself.

"Conrad is dead."

For a while, time seemed to freeze just as Damon's breath caught in his throat. Conrad was one of his closest friends, at least, Damon considered him to be his friend. He and Klaus had helped Damon a lot after Katherine and Kimberly's deaths.

"What?"

"He's dead," Wes said, handing Damon a photograph. It showed Conrad laying on a bed, his organs ripped out.

"A Guardian?" Damon swallowed thickly, his palms sweating.

Wes nodded. "Yes."

"What? How? No…It cannot be!"

"The Guardian-to-be he was working on turned out to be stronger than she seemed," Wes explained. "His 'mission' was a young Virginia girl named Mary. He was in stage two with her…she was with him. He was holding her hostage, doing what we usually do…trying to remove her Guardian nature. When he slept with her, he didn't take enough of the antidote. She hypnotized him during sex, paralyzed him, and ripped out his organs one by one."

Damon kept staring at the photo.

"Do you see now, what kind of creature a Guardian is?" Wes said. "And how important it is for you to take the antidote before sleeping with the Guardian? As long as the antidote works, you're in control. You can degrade them, control them, hurt them…as soon as you go to bed with a Guardian without the antidote, this happens."

"Whenever you start having second thoughts, think of Conrad," Wes added. "See? I've given you another reason to hurt a Guardian."

"What I don't understand…" Damon insisted, "Is why. Why rape them? Why can't we just use a different technique? Why do they have to be raped, humiliated,or violated upon to rid them of their nature?"

"Simple, Damon," Wes replied. "A Guardian uses sex to destroy. Sex, dominance, violence. But a Guardian can also _be destroyed _by the same things. I bet you haven't even seen a true Guardian, right, Damon?"

Damon shook his head. "I was barely conscious during the thirty years I was kept captive by them. I don't know anything."

"Come with me, then," Wes gestured, guiding Damon through a massive iron barred door. In there, was a woman in her twenties, chewing and sucking recklessly on a dead vampire.

"This girl," Wes explained, "Has just blossomed to a Guardian a few days ago. Her master, the one who was supposed to make sure that she doesn't ever blossom, failed. This is what happens when vampires fail."

Damon's eyes locked with the girl's. They were entirely red, not a trace of white in her eyes. She kept chewing off the vampire's organs.

"Her master failed, so we gave him to the Guardian as soon as she blossomed," Wes smirked. "We needed a test subject, a Guardian. In order to keep her alive, we had to give her fresh…meat. He failed, so it was a win-win. She killed him in less than two seconds. That's how powerful a real Guardian is, and that is why we can never let Guardians-to-be reach this stage, Damon. No matter the girl's innocence…if they make the first kill, this is who they become. No innocence, no humanity, nothing."

Wes looked at the girl who crawled towards them, resting against the iron barred door. Damon could see her clearly from where he was.

Her face suddenly turned into an angelic one and she smiled sweetly at Damon. "Hi, Blue Eyes…" She whispered seductively.

Damon turned to look at Wes, but he didn't say anything.

"Play with me…Blue Eyes," She continued, her hand pushing at the dress strap until her breast was exposed to Damon's eyes. "I can be all yours…"

"See," Wes continued. "She wants more. More pain, more killings. If we weren't under the influence of the antidote, we would've been compelled to walk over to her, to walk right into the trap."

"Oh, Blue Eyes…" The girl continued, her legs opening a little wider, her hands caressing her body.

"Enough!" Wes growled at her, but the girl just continued.

"As you can see…" Wes sighed, "When the girl gets the violent thoughts, nightmares...They become what we here call them Pre-Guardians, or Guardians-to-be. During this stage, as I explained to you several times, the Pre-Guardian will start embracing her sexuality, will start to get visions to encourage her to kill her first supernatural creature and will often have mixed emotions. Sadness, despair…They will all contribute to the Guardian's first murder. As soon as the Guardian makes her first kill, these qualities get heightened. The Guardian will become even more sexual, her feelings and emotions will heighten until she becomes numb, like a robot designed to kill its victim, the violent thoughts become massacres…."

"I got it!" Damon said at last. "Okay? I got it. I know what I have to do."

"So you're not going to take risks?" Wes asked.

"No, I'm not going to take risks," Damon replied. "I will search for the girls, I will do what is asked of me without complaints. Then, I will hand them over to you." _Even though I believe that once the Guardian part is gone, the girl should be set free, _Damon thought.

"Good," Wes smiled at him. "What we're doing here is for everybody's safety. There might be a time when we will free the 'cured' Pre-Guardians, but we have to make sure that the vampire race is free from risk."

Damon nodded.

"You can go on, now. Your next Guardian should be a Forbes."

* * *

1998

Damon's eyes followed Isobel Gilbert's movements as she pushed the girl's stroller down the road, her eyes fixed on the windows that displayed a good variety of macaroons. She smiled at the young toddler, and Elena smiled back, pointing at the macaroons.

"I'll go get you one," Isobel said, her eyebrows furrowing when she realised how crowded the confectionery was. There was certainly no place for a stroller. "Stay here. It'll only take a few minutes."

Isobel smiled at her daughter, making sure that she was strapped in. She turned the stroller around so that she could keep an eye on Elena as she waited in the queue area, glancing at her daughter regularly.

Damon smiled genuinely in seeing the tiny girl play with her stuffed animal, soon crossing the road and carefully walking over to her. Isobel was now preoccupied with choosing different types of sweets, giving Damon the opportunity to look at the girl. In those three years, he had observed her so closely that he had watched her grow up right in front of him. He was always watching her, never interfering, but always watching her.

The girl looked up at him, her chocolate brown eyes piercing his. For a while, he felt compelled. It was a feeling he usually got when he first met Guardians and Guardians-to-be, but Damon refused to believe that this angelic girl could already have the Guardian evil inside of her. She reached for him, lettingout a cute baby laugh in the process. Damon smirked, taking another step towards her and allowing her to pull slightly at his finger.

"Excuse me."

Damon turned around, and found Isobel there, a slightly worried expression on her face. He cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry, she's too cute," Damon said lamely.

"It's okay," Isobel smiled a little, handing Elena a macaroon. She squeaked, welcoming the sweet. "You're not from here, are you?"

"No," Damon replied. "Is it that obvious?"

Isobel shrugged. "It's a small town." She picked up a macaroon, and offered one to Damon politely. He smiled but refused.

"How old is she? She looks like you," Damon added.

"She's three." Isobel looked at Elena, who was observing Damon intently. "She seems to like you. She's never this cheerful around strangers."

"Well…" Damon smirked, giving the toddler his hand, "Take care of her, Miss…?"

"Gilbert," Isobel said. "Isobel Gilbert."

"Damon Salvatore," He said. "It's been a pleasure meeting you."

* * *

"Any progress, Damon?"

"What progress should there be?" Damon asked, his telephone firmly pressed on his ear.

"Still stubborn, I see."

"We had a deal. I'm not going to start the usual process until she's seventeen."

"Fine." Wes said with a sigh. "At least make sure she's safe until she reaches that age. She's definitely a Gilbert Guardian, Damon. We can learn a lot from her."

Damon knew that it was no use protesting. It had been nearly fifty years and protesting never got him anywhere. He knew what he had to do, the process of destroying the Guardian. Observe, then kidnap and claim, degrade, humiliate, hurt…and then give the broken girl up to Wes, in which he will put them to places where they can remain broken forever. In the meantime, he was expected to experiment on the Guardian at times, as Guardian blood could be quite prestigious to vampires.

"Yes," Damon said after a while. "She's safe. I'm keeping an eye on her."

"Good, Damon," Wes replied, satisfied. "Very good."

* * *

**_Present Day _**

Elena didn't even flinch when the handcuffs bit into her skin. She had become so used to the pain that she didn't even care that her wounds were bleeding. She was spreadlike an eagle's wings on a bed, her hands and feet tied to the bedposts, but she wasn't in her room. She was in one of the dark rooms, the ones painted in red and black, the ones that had gory images of horrifying creatures killing people as decoration hanging on the wall.

The door opened slightly and Adam strolled in, 168 following closely behind him. He smirked at her and her heart started to beat fast against her chest,just as flashes of what had happened earlier crossed her mind. She could still feel the force of his hand against her body, the rough slap on her cheek. But mostly, she could still feel his hands forcing her legs open and the force of his hard length inside of her.

She'd been raped.

And it was only the beginning, she knew that now. She was a prostitute.

A prostitute who did not choose this profession.

"Oh, 24197…" Adam sighed, sitting next to her on the bed. "What am I going to do with you? What should I do?"

His hands stroked her face gently and then he stroked her lips through the black handkerchief that was painfully inserted between her teeth. He leant down and kissed her fully, climbing on top of her, his weight pressing her down. She whimpered, he was too heavy for her and he knew that, yet he enjoyed her pain.

He kept kissing her and the vomit threatened to crawl up Elena's throat, disgusted as he forced his tongue into her mouth. The kiss was so rough that when he finally pulled away, she felt as if she had just been saved from drowning.

"168, get her ready," Adam climbed off her casually and turned to the blue-eyed woman, who was silently watching all of this. Elena noticed 168 nodding quickly, and Adam smirked at her. He turned around, cupped her face, stroked her raven black hair and kissed her fully, yet 168 did not even protest.

As soon as he vanished, 168 freed Elena of her restraints and helped her put fresh clothes on, remaining calm even after she had just watched Elena being violated in that way.

"Put some makeup on and follow me. Adam informed me that you were an exotic dancer, which is perfect. I'll teach you a small dance routine for when the men come to the auction and as of tomorrow night,you can start to work."

"W-What?" Elena whimpered, her body shaking in pure, utter fear. She couldn't do this! Not again!

"You heard me," 168 said coldly. "You know that you're here to pleasure others. There is no way out, but I already told you what you should do to survive in here."

Elena flinched.

"Turn off your emotions," She warned her. "This is no place for humanity and selflessness. Humanity will get you killed."

"It wasn't me," Elena said after a while, her voice shaking. "I cleaned the floor like I was asked to. There was another girl, she spilled the orange juice…"

"As I said," 168 interrupted. "This is no place for humanity and selflessness. If you want to live, then forget that these two words exist."

"Wait," Elena begged, tears in her eyes. "How do you know all of this? How long have they been keeping you here?"

168 turned to Elena and gave her a small, sad smile. It made Elena's blood run cold.

"Long enough."

* * *

Note: Certain scenes will take place off screen or through flashbacks. This will be done to avoid the story being repetitive. Thank you for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

Hi guys! sorry for the long wait. I was on holiday!

Would like to thank my beta PorkChopSmall for her help on this one!

Please Read and Review

* * *

Present Day

Damon's head was pounding. Something warm and wet was dripping down his forehead, and when he ran his fingers on the throbbing area he realised that it was his own blood. He took a deep breath, but panicked when he found himself upside down, his seatbelt still on and awkwardly twisted. He must've been unconscious, because his car was now on fire.

Even though Damon was immortal, this didn't mean that he was indestructible. The smell of smoke was already making him suffocate and he let out a coughing fit as he fiddled with his seatbelt. After several tries, he realised that this was how he was going to die. Maybe he deserved it for what he had put Elena through. Those moments of unconsciousness had served for him to remember the events that led him there, and he was not proud of what he did to Elena.

"Damon!"

Damon heard a familiar voice, however he couldn't see who it was until the person knelt down and yanked the door open, pulling Damon out of the car instantly. He coughed, his wounds not yet healing, and struggled to stay on his feet as the other person dragged him along, away from the exploding car.

"Damon! Can you hear me? Damon!"

Damon's eyes suddenly snapped open, and he found himself on the ground, the familiar person looking at him with a worried expression.

"Klaus?" Damon gasped, feeling like every bone in his body was somehow broken forever.

"Damon!" Klaus breathed out a sigh of relief, "What the hell's going on? Why aren't you healing?"

He opened his mouth to reply, but blinding pain spread through his body, and darkness overwhelmed Damon before he could reply.

* * *

168 led Elena to the stage which was in the middle of an enormous room, with hundreds of chairs put neatly in rows. She counted silently, leaving Elena slightly confused. It reminded her of a theatre, in the way that everything was set up. Lights lined the top of the stage and blood red curtains were found on both sides of the stage. However, Elena knew it was going to be everything but a pleasant experience. In fact, it was one she was completely dreading. There were metal cages lining the front and she knew exactly what they were for.

"Your cage is the sixth one," 168 said after a while. "I'm sure you tried cage-dancing before?"

Elena swallowed thickly. "Yes."

"Good," 168 encouraged her, "Come on. Show me what you know and we'll take it from there."

Elena nodded hurriedly, getting in the cage and grabbing the bars tightly so that she could sway her hips more seductively, her thin legs spread wide. Of course she knew what men liked-She had been an exotic dancer once. She kept her head down and eyes closed, tying to imagine she was anywhere but there. It was impossible to forget where she was.

"You've got the basics," 168 commented. "Good for you. Widen your legs a bit more, work on the expression on your face, master the routine I'll be teaching you and you'll be the favourite one tonight."

Elena nodded.

"As I said," 168 continued, her voice void of any emotion, "Always do your best to make sure that the men like what you offer them. If they do not like it, then no man will hire you for tonight. That might seem like a great thing, but it's not. The masters usually get rid of the girls that do not help them make profits."

"I'll do my b-best."

"Show no fear or emotion whatsoever," 168 added. "This is business. Do what the man asks of you and that's all. No ifs or but's…no strings attached."

"Please, 168," Elena begged her. She couldn't take it anymore. No matter how much she tried to accept that she was back to this ugly, lust-filled world, she couldn't. She fell on her knees in front of the blue eyed woman. "Don't make me do this."

"Get up!" 168 snapped at her, "Are you out of your mind? If Adam sees you…"

"What will he do? Rape me again? My entire existence is revolved around rape!"

"Don't make this worse to yourself," 168 warned her. "There are far worse things than rape here. Don't test their patience. You're a whore, 24197. You better learn to serve and act like one, if you want to live another day. Now, get up…we have a lot of work to do."

* * *

Damon felt the sun's rays against his skin and he found himself burying his face in the pillow, appreciating every second of it. He felt relaxed and well rested…

However, he was quickly awoken from his slumber when he heard someone calling him. His eyes shot open and he sat up on the bed, fully conscious as he felt his wounds throb. His muscles were burning and they gave out under him, falling back on to the bed. His throat was raw, craving blood to heal his wounds.

"How are you feeling?"

Damon turned around to see Klaus sitting on a chair beside him. He looked worried, genuinely concerned.

"Klaus?" Damon's eyes furrowed in confusion. "Where am I?"

"You're in my house," Klaus informed him. "You were in a car accident. I happened to be nearby."

"What?"

"You lost control of the car," Klaus explained. "You were barely conscious when I got you out. The wounds weren't even healing. What's going on with you, Damon?"

Damon tried to sit up, but the pain in his stomach made him decide otherwise.

"I know that Wes took Elena away from you," Klaus finally said. "I didn't play a part in it, but I was informed."

Damon's eyes locked with Klaus's. "Then you know that I am not alright."

"Dammit, Damon!" Klaus snarled, looking at Damon with almost cold eyes, "I told you! I told you not to get attached to her! You knew what you had to do-You weren't supposed to…"

"I know, okay, I know!" Damon yelled back, "But you do not know what it's like, Klaus. All the other vampires…they are assigned to a girl and then they give her up after a few months. I'm different! I've watched over this girl ever since she was a baby. You know that."

"Of course I know that!" Klaus roared, "Wasn't I the one who helped you escape? I did everything I could for you, Damon…because you're my friend."

* * *

**_Flashback: 2010_**

"I can't do this, Klaus," Damon said, grabbing the bottle of bourbon and sipping a good half of it in an instant. "You know I can't."

"Damon, you've grown too attached to her!"

"She's twelve old, Klaus. I have to become her worst nightmare in less than five years. I can't do this to her. I've spent the past twelve years protecting her, making sure that she's safe. In all honesty, I never did any of those things for Wes. I protected her because I never wanted her to die."

"She reminds you of Kimberly, dammit!" Klaus snapped, "You don't pity her, Damon. You cannot pity a guardian-you are wiser than that. She just reminds you of your daughter but listen to me, she's nothing. If anything, she's a murderer!"

"We don't know that, Klaus! She never had any symptom that shows that she has Guardian blood inside of her! I can't go on living like this. I cannot hurt her, Klaus."

"Wes will stop giving you the blood if you don't. In a few years, it'll be over. You'll take her home with you, do what we usually do to the guardians-to-be and then you'll take her to Wes, freed from all the cruelty inside of her. You'll never see her again and you'll forget all about her."

"You don't know what it's like. I watched her grow up. She's innocent."

"Her ancestor walked into your fucking house and killed your wife and daughter! A Gilbert, Damon! A Gilbert Guardian! Do you want another massacre to happen?"

"I have to hurt an innocent girl because of some theory that she's the next Gilbert Guardian," Damon shook his head in anger, "I can't do it. I can't keep on protecting her yet knowing that I'll have to humiliate and degrade her in a few years' time."

"Damon," Klaus said calmly, "You've done this before."

"Yes, I have," Damon agreed, "And I never felt good about it. This time is different. I know her, Klaus. I protected her several times in her young life. She doesn't deserve it. She wants to become an author, you know. There isn't an ounce of evil inside of her."

"Damon, there will be," Klaus reminded him, taking a deep breath.

"I can't," Damon said. "I don't know how I'm going to get out of this one, but I can't keep on doing this."

"Damon, you're my friend," Klaus said after a while. "And as your friend I can tell you that Wes will kill you if you abort this mission. But, as your friend, I can also tell you that there is another way."

Damon looked up at him.

"I can help you get out of here, away from Wes, and I'll make sure to keep sending you blood. You won't save Elena, Damon. You haven't yet had sex with her so she is not 'claimed' by you. Wes will easily find another vampire to watch over her until she's of age. However, I can spare you from having to do the act yourself, and I will make sure to supply you with blood."

"I don't want to put you at risk. I'll escape myself."

"You will never survive without Guardian blood, Damon," Klaus warned him. "You and I both know that Wes is the only one producing such blood. He already told you that the blood is your payment. If you abort your mission, he'll stop giving you blood-you'll die. While you're gone, I'll make sure that I get enough for the both of us."

Damon looked at Klaus and took a deep breath, before finally nodding.

* * *

**Present Day**

"Of course, it didn't work out that way," Klaus said after a while. "We nearly got caught when you kidnapped Elena in hope to get her out of this godforsaken town."

"I hoped that Wes would forget about her. I hoped that I could keep her safe."

"You couldn't," Klaus reminded him. "Even if you did manage to get her out of town…every vampire back then knew of her. You wouldn't have made it far."

"I never did, anyway," Damon replied, wincing slightly at the pain in his chest, "Wes caught me after four years. I never understood how he didn't figure out that you were the one who helped me."

Klaus sighed. "Thank God he didn't."

Damon shrugged. "It was worse after those five years. I returned back to Mystic Falls because of Wes, and I had no choice other to find the Gilbert girl. And then, I walk in the club and I remember finding Elena grabbing a fucking pole, stripping for money. Obviously I didn't know that she was forced into it. Those five years in which I disappeared from Mystic Falls took a toll on me, though. I saw Guardians hurting other supernatural creatures. I saw death and violence…I saw other vampire friends being taken by Guardians. When I was caught by Wes, it didn't take me long to realise that I still needed to have my revenge for Katherine and Kim's deaths. To make matters worse, the sweet girl I had protected was offering her body for money. It was Courtney's lust that got me into this position and when I saw the lust written in Elena's face-now I know that it was fake lust, as she had to force it-I knew that she was a Guardian and that she deserved what she was going to get from me. I set up some men to follow her and threaten to rape her, making sure to save her from them and tell her about it so that I could see her trust me. I wanted her to trust me so that my betrayal would hurt even worse. It had been a battle. At times, my hands and my body ached to force her into my bed, to hurt her like her ancestors hurt people like me. But I never did, because the times when we did sleep together, I felt no hate for her…I didn't even feel the need to use violence on her. When we slept together, it was about her. I realised after long months that I didn't want to hurt her. Only I fucked up badly, because Elena's gone now, and Wes kicked me out. I can never find out where she is or if she's safe…which, I highly doubt."

Klaus bit his lip thoughtfully, looking at Damon with pity in his eyes. "You love her."

"I don't know," Damon said. "I think I do. I've never once shown her that. When she was with me, I always acted tough, hoping that if she was scared of me…if she hated me…it'll make my job easier. But then, when she was weak in my bed and I saw the memory of when she was first raped-anally-and I saw how Mason treated her, I knew that I couldn't. I couldn't humiliate her further. I couldn't experiment on her to see what her Gilbert Guardian powers could mean to our kind…I couldn't lay a hand on her at all."

"A Guardian's emotions are everything," Klaus said. "If you destroyed that, you would've destroyed her. That's why Wes emphasized that we degraded the girls. They are proud creatures, Damon."

"The Guardians, yes," Damon agreed, "But not the ones like Elena. She didn't even know that there might be a possibility of becoming a Guardian."

Klaus took a deep breath and shifted uncomfortably. "Damon…I am not saying that I agree with your love for Elena or that I agree that Guardians-to-be should be let travelling around the world freely," He spoke calmly, "But if you promise me one thing, I can help you get her back."

Damon's eyebrows raised in confusion. "What?"

"There is a possibility that Elena might never actually transition into a Guardian. I agree with you. However, there is also a possibility that Elena will turn into a Guardian, and that has to be taken care of."

"She never experienced any violent nightmares that urged her to give herself to the Guardian nature," Damon said. "That was the only experiment I did on her-invading her dreams. She never had any such dream that encouraged the hunting of vampires, and you and I both know that that is the first Guardian symptom."

"Exactly," Klaus breathed out. "I'm relying on the idea that she does not ever transform to a Guardian, that as you are saying, she's an innocent girl. I can help you get her back, I can learn where Wes is keeping her and I can guide you to her. However, on the other hand, I cannot risk our species. If Wes is right and she'll develop Guardian symptoms, I want you to promise me that you'll get rid of her-not just try to help her, Damon-we both know that a Guardian can only be killed, not cured. If you promise me that, I give you my word, I'll start looking for her right away."

"I…I don't know what to say…"

"I just want you to promise me that if she becomes dangerous, you'll get rid of her," Klaus insisted, "You don't have to say anything else."

"I promise you," Damon spoke with conviction. "I…I can never thank you enough, Klaus."

"As I said," Klaus repeated. "Your word is enough. I do not want to be the reason another massacre happens. Please, keep your word."

"I will," Damon replied. "If she becomes a Guardian, I'll kill her myself."

* * *

_She was running into the woods, breathless. She heard footsteps and she just ran faster, her heart beating fast against her chest. Only then, her captor appeared in front of her._

_Only her captor looked scared._

_Since when did the predator become scared of the prey?_

_The captor moved away from her, but then Elena felt hunger inside of her. Hunger she had never seen before. Her hands were shaking, itching, and the captor's eyes were not looking at her anymore. They were looking downwards to Elena's hands._

_Elena looked down, finding herself dressed entirely in white. But there, in her lap, was a vampire's head, from which her hands had managed to pull out various bones. Elena smirked evilly, throwing the head away and looking at her captor-no, her prey._

_The need for violence was killing her. She wanted to kill and destroy, she wanted to rip out the vampire in front of her's organs and devour them. Her fingers cut into the vampire's flesh so hard that blood poured out of them…_

"24197, wake up!"

Elena found herself on the couch, 168 looking sternly at her. "Great, I leave you alone on the couch for an hour and you end up napping instead of practicing what I taught you."

"I'm sorry-" Elena gasped, confused and horrified by the nightmare she had just had.

"Don't apologise to me…be sorry for yourself if you mess up the dance routine tonight!" 168 said coldly. "Get up and show me what you've learnt."

168 turned away and Elena got off the couch, confused. It was when she looked at her fingers that her mouth shot open in horror.

The blood on her fingers…Her dream…it couldn't have been real…

A drop of blood from Elena's fingers fell on her clothes.

* * *

**Some points to sum up the idea of the Guardian:**

**They were inspired by vampire diaries' hunters, and Michael Mikaelson (The vampire who drinks from vampires) a bit from the walkers "zombies" in the Walking Dead. As you can see, they prey on vampires violently.**

**Guardians use sex and seduction to kill the vampire (This was inspired by the idea of the mermaid, who is said to lure men to their deaths)**

**Guardians-to-be are those women whose families have had Guardian blood within them. Guardians-to-be are those people who according to vampires, have a higher chance to develop to Guardians because someone in their family was a Guardian. These have to be destroyed to try and make the Guardians extinct.**

**Gilbert Guardians are special, as explained in this chapter (and I will keep working on it)**

**Every Guardian-to-be has to make her first kill, inspired by a violent nightmare that will start pushing the Guardian-to-be to accept her violent nature and become a fully transformed Guardian. Elena has officially had this first dream in this chapter.**

**Please Review and do not hesitate to ask questions. I might answer them, but please remember that some things will be revealed in the story itself.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks to PorkChopSmall for her work on this chapter!**

* * *

Elena took a deep breath and walked into the canteen area. Surprisingly enough, it was clean and well maintained. Young girls, some even younger than she was, lined up like prisoners, their trays in hands as three women behind the counter served them their white rice. Elena noticed that the blonde girl whom she shared a room with and whose name she did not know, was served Bolognese instead.

"215, always working hard," A girl turned to face Elena.

Elena looked at the girl in front of her who was around nineteen. She was quite tall and slim, her hair styled in a pixie-cut, dyed bright orange. There were dark circles under her eyes and her face looked ill, but she didn't seem to care. Elena couldn't bear to imagine what she must have been through already.

"You must be the new girl. I'm 24190."

Elena shook her hand after a pause of hesitation. It was ice cold, no life left in her and barely any grip.

"Why did you say that?" Elena asked her after a while.

"215 does not care about anyone," 24190 said. "Her personality has made her the men's favourite. She is entitled to more food and drink than us because she works a lot harder. You have to work your ass off for some sauce on the rice. She's detached and there is almost no humanity left in her. That's why they like her."

Elena shivered.

24190 shrugged. "If you turn your emotions off, you'll get used to it." She smiled at Elena as she was called to get her rice and Elena went to the other counter.

The woman behind it looked at Elena with a cold expression and filled Elena's plate. Elena muttered a single 'thank you' and walked towards an empty seat. Only before Elena could take another step, one of her roommates swung her leg out and Elena tripped, her rice spreading out on the floor. Elena heard cheers and laughter and she turned beetroot red with humiliation. She bowed her head and went to pick up the rice, and obviously, failed to do so until she managed to get a broom.

Her stomach growling from the lack of food, Elena got back in line, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. When it was finally her turn again, one of the women behind the counter spoke up.

"You ungrateful child!" She gasped, looking at Elena with hate in her eyes, "You have the balls to ask for more food?"

"I…I t-tripped and I d-don't…."

"I don't care!" The woman continued to bark. "Now get out of my sight before I call Adam!"

Afraid of the threat, Elena scurried off, hearing 215 making fun of her. She didn't know why 215 hated her this much. The fact that she spilled orange juice on her floors and humiliated her like this in front of everyone showed Elena that she had already unknowingly made an enemy.

Elena returned back to her room, hungry and even more scared.

* * *

"Thank you for the lift, Klaus," Damon said as he got off the vehicle with difficulty.

Klaus nodded his head. "Take care of yourself, Damon. As I said, you should've stayed with me for a few days, but it's your choice."

"I appreciate that," Damon replied, "But I think it's best if I just rest for a while. You've already done enough." He took a deep breath. "Do you really think you can find out where Elena is?"

"I think so," Klaus said after a while. "I'll try to access Wes's database."

"Thank you," Damon said again. "I promise you, I'll keep an eye on her. But this…what I do, it has to stop. It was never about us wanting to protect our kind, Klaus. If it was, we could just kill the Guardian-to-be, after all, they are still just human before they transform. It was always about revenge and pride, and you know that."

"I can't deny it," Klaus admitted. "But I also can't deny that I like using both the Guardians _and _the Guardians-to-be. As a vampire, I feel that I'm protecting my race and making sure that I am superior to them."

"Then I know that you are helping me because of your respect for me," Damon added. "For that, I thank you again and I give you my word that I'll kill her myself if she transforms to one of those monsters."

Klaus nodded his head slightly. "I'll keep in touch."

At that, Klaus pressed on the gas, leaving Damon alone in the cold, dark night. He walked over to the porch and opened the door quickly, only to be greeted by Emily's high pitched scream. The little girl walked over to him and hugged his leg as Damon stood immobile. Sure, the reason why he had refused to stay with Klaus was because of little Emily. The least thing he could do for Elena was protect her little sister from the same fate as Elena's.

The thing was, Damon thought, that they were after Elena mostly because she was a Gilbert Guardian. The fact that Emily was also a Gilbert worried him, because sometimes when he was around Emily and Elena at the same time, he felt overwhelmed. It was quite normal that Gilbert Guardians shared their Guardian power with their sibling, something which also differs from any normal Guardian. However, he definitely did not want little Emily to suffer the same fate as Elena had, and he had told everyone that Elena did not have any siblings-only that Emily was her daughter, and as Wes very well knew, no Guardian blood could be transferred to the next generation. Therefore, Wes had no interest in Emily at all.

Damon gave Emily a small pat on the back, the babysitter looking at him a bit curiously. Afterwards, he compelled her and told her to forget about them and picked up the girl himself.

"Where's Elena?" She asked him. "I thought you went out to find her."

He sighed, and held out his hand, which she took immediately. Her small hand only just wrapped around two of his fingers, but she held on for dear life. He lead her in to the living room, passing through the kitchen to grab her a glass of milk. He sat by the fire, handing the drink to her, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger.

"Elena…Elena will be coming home soon," He said lamely.

"So you'll get her back?" She asked him innocently. "Do you think she left because of me? Because I ate two chocolates instead of one?" Her lips wobbled slightly and Damon felt guilt bite him like a rabid dog. This was all his fault.

"No," He said, making an effort to smile before picking her up and sitting her on his lap. Thoughts of both Kim and baby Elena filled his mind. "It wasn't your fault, sweetie."

Emily cried silently, snuggling her face against Damon's chest. "I really miss her."

"Me too, sweetie. Me too," Damon breathed harshly, feeling tears build in his eyes and his throat. He swallowed them back down. He had to stay strong for her. "Come on, let's get you to bed."

* * *

The rest of the evening passed by quickly and Elena was a mess. She knew that soon, she was going to have to perform and worse. 168 had prepared her the best she could but Elena was practically dead inside. She watched 215 getting ready, even humming as she did so, and wondered why on earth she'd be humming in a place like this. But then, when she saw her popping pills as if they were candy, Elena realised that maybe things were not always what they seem.

She brushed her long hair, trying to smoothen it out as much as possible. Her eyes were already covered in black eyeliner and her lips were red as blood. When she finally put the dress on, she nearly gagged. It was black with lace, and it was way too short. She had to wear fishnet stockings and had to keep the front part open in a way that her bra was almost visible.

215 came behind Elena and Elena's breath caught in her throat.

"Pretty," She said, mockingly. "I do hope you are not a virgin, because you seem to be quite the popular one tonight. Our men like it quite rough."

"Leave me alone," Elena said, shakily.

"You do not tell me what to do, sweetheart," 215 smirked, exhaling cigarette smoke in Elena's face. She had to keep from coughing. "No one tells me what to do."

"Doesn't seem like it," Elena challenged. "As far as I know, you are a whore."

215 didn't seem pleased. "Keep that up, 24197. Everybody loves me here…All I have to do is tell Adam that you are bothering me, and you'll be chained in the basement for a week. Didn't 168 tell you, that bad things happen to bad girls in the basement?" She tugged at Elena's hair. "Be a good girl, sweetheart."

She let out an evil laugh, a laugh that made Elena's blood run cold. Fighting tears, she continued to get ready until she was called backstage. Elena closed her eyes.

* * *

"It's quite a popular brothel," Dimitri smirked at Klaus later that evening. "Wes controls a good part of it, I'm surprised he hasn't invited you."

"Wes and I are not really close," Klaus admitted. "I usually work with the others, unlike you, Dimitri."

Dimitri had been Klaus's friend for a while now. He was ruthless, cocky and arrogant, but he had proven to be a genuine friend in a time of need.

"Well, in that case, we should visit tonight," Dimitri said.

"And why should I pay a thousand dollars when I can have any girl I want?"

"It's free for us," Dimitri reminded him. "Besides, they are totally worth it. It is not just any brothel, Niklaus. The performances, the girls…they are amazing, from what I've heard."

"Oh, alright," Klaus finally said. "Give me a few minutes to get ready, and we'll go."

Dimitri sighed. "Fine." He adjusted his tie and fixed his brown hair as Klaus threw on whatever he could find.

"We'll take my car," Dimitri offered. Klaus nodded, getting in the car and turning the music on.

"It's quite a long drive," Dimitri continued, "But it's worth it."

* * *

By the time they arrived, the show was about to begin. Klaus and Dimitri hurried in, to be greeted by two young women, which were 215 and another girl, 196.

"If you want me, you have to come to stage 1…" 215 smirked at Klaus suggestively.

"And if you want me…" 196 threw herself at Dimitri, "You have to come to stage 2. Maybe you are lucky enough to have me before anyone else does."

"I like your spunk," Klaus said, reaching out to kiss 215, but she took a step back.

"Not yet. I'm not yours, not yet."

"Dimitri…I think I'm going to stage 1," Klaus smirked.

"And I'm going to stage 2," Dimitri let 196 guide him. "Enjoy your night, friend…thank me tomorrow."

196 led Dimitri to stage 2, and he chose a seat in the first row.

* * *

Elena was all set in the cage, but she was not feeling prepared at all. Since she was new, she had to perform first and her attention was going to be on her. When the music started and the curtains separated, Elena nearly froze. There were too many people-She couldn't do this!

168 looked at her sternly as she stood immobile and then her eyes met Adam's, who was already looking at her like he was going to rip her apart. She closed her eyes and let herself use the music as her guide, as she started to dance slowly. She heard a round of applause as the music got faster and she used her arms to grip the pole inside of her cage, turning and twisting around powerfully as she tried to keep her expression fierce as possible.

Her gaze locked with a man who had been cheering her on ever since she started. He had brown hair and he was observing her every move carefully. She got off the cage and walked to the edge of the stage, leaning over him.

"You are mine tonight," The brown haired man whispered in her ear, "I'm Dimitri…"

Elena hid her nervousness with a seductive smile and walked back to the cage, taking her clothes off in the process. Just then, the other dancers joined in, all dancing to the same beat.

The performance seemed to have gone on for hours, and when Elena looked at Adam, he seemed pleased enough. After a few more minutes, Adam walked in on stage, said his thanks, and every girl returned back to her cage.

"So," Adam said with a cheery smile as if he were presenting a television programme, "Here I hold the key to free a sexy young woman. Who will be lucky enough to free her from her cage?"

He walked over to Elena's cage and Elena, based on what 168 had taught her, posed quite seductively and looked at the men.

The bidding started, as if she were a piece of furniture. But, just like as she had suspected, the brown-haired man, Dimitri, won with a bid of 1,200 dollars. Little did Elena know that he got her for free.

"Congratulations," Adam shook Dimitri's hand as he handed him the key.

A round of applause was given and Dimitri unlocked the cage, took Elena's hand as they were lead to one of the dark rooms. Dimitri guided Elena in almost politely and locked the door behind them, watching as Elena remained immobile in the middle of the room, hugging herself.

"I believe that this is the part where you take your clothes off," He said cockily.

Elena's hands started to shake. Her hands went to her top, but she froze. Her eyes snapped shut for a moment and she tried to block it all out.

"What's wrong?" He asked her, "You want me to do it for you?"

"S-Sir," She pleaded, "I beg of you. I don't want this. I am not here willingly…If you could just call the police, I beg you…"

"I know you are not here willingly, sweet…" He looked at her, "Hmm, what should I call you? My friend explained the procedure to me. I get to choose a name. I'd like to call you Lana for tonight." He stroked her face gently and wiped a tear from her eye.

"I paid 1,200 dollars for you," He kissed her ear. "I'm not going to back off. Now, if you could just take your clothes off, I won't tell Adam about this."

"Please, sir…"

Just then, there was a knock on the door and Dimitri moved forwards. "Who is it?"

"Adam," The voice said sternly, making Elena's blood run cold. Dimitri opened the door.

"Everything okay in here?" He asked him, looking at Elena. "24197, why aren't you yet undressed? Sir, do you need my assistance, in getting her to obey? The newcomers can be quite difficult."

Elena pleaded Dimitri with her eyes.

"No," Dimitri said, "We were just talking. Thank you for your concern, sir."

"Have a great night," Adam spoke after a while, closing the door shut after throwing one last glance at Elena.

"You owe me for that…" Dimitri said after a while. "It would've ended up badly for you."

With tears in her eyes, Elena let him take her clothes off and laid on the bed. He climbed on top of her and kissed her neck gently as he undressed himself and started to caress her breasts. She shifted uncomfortably and started to sob.

He paused, glancing up at her. His eyes narrowed, but he never lashed out at her like she thought he would. He actually seemed calm, which Elena found strange.

"I can be gentle. Don't fight me." He nipped her ear lobe.

"You're a monster," Elena spat.

Dimitri looked at her without batting an eyelid. "We are all monsters, sweetheart."

His hard thrust was so sudden that Elena barely had time to wince. Her teeth gritted together and she turned her face to one side. It was all she could do as once again her choice was taken from her.

* * *

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